Calvin Klein's globe-trotting head of communications, Malcolm Carfrae, finds that there is nothing more rewarding than paring a classic Hamptons cottage down to its elegant essentials

It all seems rather long ago, but there was a time, recalls Malcolm Carfrae, when he would term his aesthetic "eclectic." His weekend homes and city apartments held antiques and even—funny to imagine it now—quite a bit of color.

"But that was before I was Calvinized," says Carfrae, an Australian who has worked for a decade at Calvin Klein and is now head of global communications for the fashion brand. "It happens to everyone here. You absorb it through your pores. It's a kind of purity of vision."

Entryway

Entryway

The Hamptons home Carfrae shares with John Wattiker, who works in advertising sales for Esquire magazine, is nothing if not pure. Bathed in brilliant whites and pale blues, the 1,800-square-foot classic Shingle Style house, which was built in the 1930s, serves as a much-needed refuge for Carfrae. His job entails circling the globe tirelessly; London, Milan, and Paris are regular stops for fashion shows by the brand's stable of designers. In addition, he tends to the many celebrities who wear Calvin Klein clothes on red carpets from Hollywood to Cannes to Beijing. In his rare downtime, Carfrae nurtures the nonprofit Australian Fashion Foundation, which helps young designers from Down Under get a toehold in the fiercely competitive New York fashion world.

The porcelain vases in the entryway are by Anna Sykora, and the wire drum table is by Calvin Klein Home.